What
are the details of the reduction in the Residential Street Cleaning Program? The Public Works Division had to reduce
its expenditures from the General Fund by seven percent
(7%) beginning July 1, 2003. To accomplish this, the
Division froze one sweeper operator position, removing
it from the budget and removed one sweeper from service.
Additionally, the Street Cleaning Program no longer
has a holiday make up schedule. This means that if
your regular street cleaning day falls on a scheduled
holiday (city offices are closed), the street cleaning
will not be scheduled for a subsequent make up day.

What
should I do if I do not see my address listed?There are three circumstances that would exclude your street from the
Street Cleaning Program: (1) your street is a private street, (2) your
street is an unimproved street or (3) your street is in an unincorporated
part of San Mateo County. If these situations do not apply to your street,
call the Public Works Division at 650-780-7464 or email: streetcleaning@redwoodcity.organd
we will gladly provide you with the information. Please be prepared to
provide us with your street address.

Why
are private streets excluded from the Street Cleaning Program?Privately owned streets are managed and maintained
by private parties or individuals, i.e. a homeowner
associations or private property owners. These streets
typically are not built to Redwood City’s design
standards and are intended for the exclusive use of
the private property owners that maintain them. Publicly
funded services are not provided on these streets.

How
were the street cleaning district boundaries determined?The boundaries of the street cleaning district are the same as the boundary
of the neighborhood associations of Redwood City. Most large neighborhoods
are divided into two districts, to accommodate what realistically can be
cleaned within a 10-hour day. For instance, Roosevelt is a large neighborhood
and is divided into two smaller districts “B” and “D” meaning
that one portion of the neighborhood is cleaned during “B Week” and
the other portion is cleaned during “D Week.”

Does
city staff enforce “No Parking” for street cleaning?No. “No Parking” for street cleaning is not enforced at
this time. Enforcement of parking restrictions for street cleaning would
require a large expenditure of resources, both financial and personnel.
The costs to make and place signs on city streets, and the need for enforcement
personnel for ticketing and/or towing are prohibitive, especially under
current budget limitations.

With
the reduced street cleaning schedule won’t more debris collect on the streets causing the storm drains to clog and flood?It is likely that more leaves and debris will remain
on the street, which could contribute to clogging storm
drains and catch basins during the rains. The reduction
in service is unfortunate, but economically necessary.
City crews cleaned all of Redwood City’s 2,685
inlets and catch basins, cleaned the trash racks and
serviced the storm system’s 17pump stations prior
to October 1, 2003. Before, during and after a storm,
city crews conduct inspections and clean catch basins,
inlets, channels and pump stations. The crews will
continue to be vigilant and respond to calls to clear
clogged storm drains. Public Works personnel
appreciate that residents call to report clogged drains
and catch basins during the rains.

Why
would the street sweeper operator clean one side of my street but not
the other side of the street on the same day?Some streets are “border” streets; that
means they are the boundary that separates one street
cleaning district from another. The street cleaning
districts are designed to include a practical number
of curb miles that will allow the sweeper operator
to complete an entire district in one day. More than
likely your street is a border street separating your
cleaning district from another. This may offer residents
living on border streets the opportunity to forge agreements
among themselves to move cars to the unscheduled side
of the street (in front of your across-the-street neighbor,
for example) until after the street sweeper passes.